![Cooley High [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/916vJn6YbqL.jpg)
Product Description Often called 'the black American Graffiti'but with "far more vitality and more variety" (The New York Times), Cooley High takes a nostalgic, poignantand hilariously funny look at black teen life in 1960's Chicago. It's 1964. JFK has just been assassinated. Martha & The Vandellas, Little Stevie Wonder and The Four Tops rule the airwaves. And two high school students discover themselvesand the taste of freedomfor the first time. Preach (Glynn Turman), aserious-minded writer, and his best friend Cochise (Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs), a basketball hero headed for college, are best friends at Cooley High. Together they cut classes to go to the zoo, crash parties, put the hustle on some hustlers and dream about getting out of their impoverished, rough neighborhood. But when an innocent joy ride makes them the targets of two vengeful hoods, their alreadyuncertain futures seem even further out of reach. Featuring a "well-handled mix of comedy and dramawith a soundtrack of Motown gold" (Blockbuster Entertainment Guide) and a "universal appeal"(Los Angeles Times), Cooley High is "the best American comedy so far this year" (Village Voice)! .com Cooley High has frequently been compared to American Graffiti, and for good reason. Like that classic, Cooley High has a loose, multicharacter structure, autobiographical origins, and the rich texture of its time. Set in Chicago in 1964, the movie follows aspiring writer Preach (Glynn Turman) and local basketball star Cochise (Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, who went on to star in Welcome Back, Kotter) as they wander their neighborhood, drifting in and out of their classes at Cooley Vocational High School. The two friends pull pranks, crash parties, commit petty crimes, and generally try to enjoy their lives in an impoverished urban environment. Preach falls in love with a smart girl named Brenda (Cynthia Davis), whom he wins over by reciting poetry--leading to one of the silliest and sweetest love scenes you'll ever see. When Preach and Cochise go on a joy ride with a pair of young hoods, they end up arrested. Their history teacher, Mr. Mason (a superb Garrett Morris), gets them off, but the hoods think the boys sold them out and come seeking revenge. Cooley High depicts the rough life of African Americans in the 1960s with honesty and humor, offering no easy solutions or pat lessons. It's a roughly made movie, but Turman and Jacobs are both excellent, and there's an attention to reality that makes it engaging, refreshing, and ultimately moving. The soundtrack is a great compilation of 1960s soul, including the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, the Four Tops, and Smokey Robinson. An unjustly neglected film that deserves rediscovery. --Bret Fetzer
P**R
A Cool Upgrade
I like this 4K but I still feel it can look better. It looks like a decent blu ray but lacking in The 4K restoration area. More resolution Please. Otherwise it's the best out there..
J**L
One of my favorite movies
This sent me back to my childhood. I get to share this with my kids.
P**E
Dvd movie: cooley high
I like the movie,the best
T**M
All time favorite
Grew up watching this movie & it’s still a Classic
R**O
😊 nice
Great Blu-ray movie 🍿
K**N
The Motown ...sound.
This movie is beyond legendary ..in some circles.. First of all I can relate to the movie for the "Hi'-jink's" that kids engaged in when we were brats.. First of all I'm a Southerner .. and not from the big cities so I have no understanding of "urban survival".. What draws me to this movie since I haven't seen it in about 15 years.. are the crazy character's..As a girl ..who didn't have a group of "female" friends in school because I was a loner ... and most of my friends were boys.. Kids in the 1960's-1970's had a certain freedom in larger cities that I did not have.. They rode city buses and subways that made their live's adventurous ..while I grew up on a farm very rare for many colored kids of my generation. My sheltered up bringing didn't expose me to gangs,violence Or drugs ..like most northern blacks in larger cities. I relate to these kids because they were simply enjoying the last few years of High school ..then either college, a job or marriage was in their horizon's.. They had a place like "Martha's" to hang out and listen to the jukebox... and dance.. Kids who lived in Northern cities had to ..grow up really .....FAST! When you notice the brawls ..these kids fought with their fists... Today flash forward..they use firearm's..now.! Kids also necked..and left "hicky's"..on their G-friends neck's.. Today ..Teen pregancy has soared since 1978 ..in many cities across America.. These kids had a special "high risk" freedom ..that I would have never seen due to my rural-conservative upbringing. The joy ride scene..where they flee from the police is my favorite ...when the man leaps out the passenger side of the car and yell's... "Whip-lash"..Whip-lash".. Lay down ... fool his lady friend screams.. LOL.. I also like the scene when they stick up the "hooker's" and flash a phony badge ... OMG ! (Hysteric's).. This movie has it's Good and bad point's.. Towards the end is when it's really sad..because of the loss of a dear childhood friend of "preach's"...is really eye opening .. The consequence's of who ..YOU should associate yourself with and NOT ..??
S**D
Pristine copy of this classic!
The Criterion Collection always does a fantastic job on their releases. I recently caught a little bit of this film on TCM. While the picture was fair, the audio was atrocious! The great Motown soundtrack had so much flutter it was just annoying! I figured this classic film has to have been treated better than this! Typety type on the Amazon app and voila! This disc exceeded my expectations. You will not be disappointed. Buy it now!
A**R
Great movie
I was a high school graduate of Cooley Vocational High School 1972. What an exciting time for me. The characters portrayed the students were spot on! I’m glad I added this movie to my dvd library. Thank you
Trustpilot
3 weeks ago
2 months ago
